


Tooth and Carries

by Smiling_Penelope



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alina is well past her Mal phase, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- Dental office, Anxiety, Carries are also known as cavities btw, Dentistry, F/M, Next up Aleksander ;), Panic Attacks, This is nowhere near canon okay?, Wow I'm a nerd, dental anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 05:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smiling_Penelope/pseuds/Smiling_Penelope
Summary: Alina Starkov has always hated going to the dentist, but it’s been five years since her last visit and she can’t put it off any longer. So she finds herself in in a dental office like no other she’s ever been in. A one Dr. Morozova’s office.Will she be able to overcome her dental phobia, or is this visit destined for disaster?AKA the Modern Dental Office AU that really actually literally nobody asked for, but this dental nerd wrote anyways.





	Tooth and Carries

Alina was pacing. There was no other word to describe her agitated movement, back and forth, turning sharply on her heel every five steps. She looked like a lunatic.

She felt like a lunatic.

Maybe she _was_ a lunatic. What else would explain the fear working its way up her spine, causing sweat to bead on her palms and upper lip for absolutely no reason? She was being irrational. People went to the dentist every day like it was nothing. Alina wasn’t even there for a procedure, just a check-up! She should just go in and get it over with. The door was _right_ there. All she had to do was change her course and she would be in the lobby in just a few steps.

But her body refused to turn that way and she continued pacing, focusing on the sound of her rubber soles scraping across the pavement. She pulled her phone out of her purse and pressed ‘1’ to speed dial her best friend, Mal. He picked up on the first ring. “Alina, just go in. It will be fine, I promise!”

“No, no, no, no, no.” She chanted into the speaker like a desperate prayer.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t you remember me telling you about my visit to this dentist last week?” He said in a soothing voice which made her want to punch him through the phone. “What did I say to you after I came home?”

Alina just shook her head, not bothering to respond. She was scared, not five years old. She wasn’t going to parrot back his words when prompted as if he had asked her ‘what’s the magic word?’

“Alinaaaa,” Mal whined and she could picture the little furrow his brow made whenever he was slightly annoyed.

Alina was familiar with almost all of Mal’s expressions even when she couldn’t directly see his stupid face. It came from practically growing up with him and from an embarrassing phase where she harbored a massive crush on him. She had spent years mooning over him before she finally came to her senses and realized that he was way too much like a brother to her for it to ever work. He loved her and cared about her, but he was also gruff with her, pig-headed, inconsiderate, overprotective (but never jealous), and he loved to burp or fart in her face. He was family and it was only a good thing that Alina had accepted that and moved on.

“Come on! Just go in, already!” He demanded.

“Stay on the phone with me?” She asked quietly.

“You’re going to look like even more of a freak if you do that, but okay.” Mal also wasn’t the best at pep-talks.

“Okay, I’m going in.” She said, without making a step towards the door.

“Sure you are.” Alina could practically feel Mal’s eyes roll from across town. “Alina, if you don’t go in _right now_ I’m going to tell Zoya exactly what you think about the bridesmaid dress she picked out for you.”

Alina paled and her feet surged forward as she realized what true horror actually felt like. Zoya was Mal’s insufferable fiancé who had somehow wrangled Alina into being her maid of honor. She had no idea how or why it had happened, but Alina was now at Zoya’s every whim. And if Alina so much as blinked wrong, the bridezilla would rip her a new one. She could not afford to let Zoya know how much she hated the ruffled, glitter crusted monstrosity of a dress.

“I told you that in confidence!” Alina hissed into the phone, using her anger to propel her through the front door. When she did, it was like she entered an alternate universe.

She stepped into a sleek waiting room decorated with lush black velvet, deep ebony floors, and a roaring fireplace. If she hadn’t been pacing in front of its large window that read ‘Aleksander Morozova DDS’ in crisp lettering just seconds ago, she would have thought that she had entered the wrong building.

It was so different than the dental offices she was used to growing up. Instead of rows of uncomfortable chairs from the eighties, the room was laid out like a living room from a design magazine. In place of wrinkled posters warning of the dangers of tooth decay or pictures of deranged looking smiles, there were artsy black and white photos in sleek silver frames decorating the walls. She couldn’t even smell the characteristic scent of plastic and disinfectant that seemed to plague dental offices, instead the light scent of cinnamon swirled pleasantly in her nose.

“Mal, what is this place?” Her voice was a reverent whisper as she ran a finger across the plush backing of a loveseat.

“Told you, you would like it.”

And Alina did like it. She felt more comfortable than she had ever been in a dental office. It was uncanny.

“Can I help you?” A man’s voice drawled from the other side of the room. Every word dripped with enough snark to make even Zoya’s voice sound pleasantly sincere. Alina’s eyes snapped to a broad man reclining in a desk chair behind a sleek countertop. She guessed that if he stood up he would be a good two feet taller than her. He had a bored expression on his face, but that didn’t affect how handsome he looked with wavy brown hair and perfectly tanned skin.

“Okay, Mal, I have to go now.” Alina hung up the phone hastily, but not before hearing a knowing chuckle from him.

She walked up to the intimidating man and rested her hands on the granite counter top. “Umm, I’m here for a two o’clock appointment?”

“Really? I would have never guessed.” He inspected his nails as he talked. She also didn’t remember dental staff being so… aloof. Alina wasn’t sure how to respond to his sarcasm, so she just stood awkwardly. He heaved a deep sigh and sat up straighter before starting to maneuver his mouse around. “Alina Starkov?”

She squeaked out a nervous ‘yes’ as the sound of his efficient clicks filled the room. With one last flourish he hit the enter key then looked up at her. “I see you’ve already filled in our questionnaire and forwarded your dental history. Do you have your insurance card on you?”

Not waiting for her to respond, the man held up his hand impatiently. Alina rummaged frantically around in her mess of a purse, pushing aside forgotten receipts, an old granola bar, and her keys before finally digging it out.

“Found it!” She said triumphantly as she handed it to the man.

“Hooray.” He said flatly, plucking the card out of her hand.

Alina frowned. “I thought receptionists were supposed to be more… I don’t know. Welcoming?”

The man didn’t even look up.

 “Oh Ivan, be meaner won’t you? Otherwise our patients will start to actually feel comfortable and we can’t have that!” A woman with gorgeous auburn hair braided into an intricate plate approached the counter. She turned a sympathetic face to Alina.

“Alina, right? Just ignore him, he’s like that to everyone.”

Ivan just grunted and handed Alina her card back.

The woman waved her around the counter. “Come on back! I’m Genya, by the way, I’ll be your dental assistant today.” Alina was stricken by just how breathtakingly beautiful she was. She could be a model. A super model. Instead she was wearing a crisp pair of cream colored scrubs and had face mask dangling from one ear.

Genya practically strutted as she led Alina down corridor that had shiny glass walls. On one side was an office and something that looked like a laboratory and on the other side there were four rooms each equipped with a patient chair.

Alina hated those things. They always looked like something out of a bad sci-fi movie, riddled with tubes, moving parts, bright lights, and odd noises. She could feel her breath starting to hitch in her chest and Genya’s voice became muffled to her ears. Alina realized that she had been lulled into a false security, almost forgetting why she was here. But with the the characteristic chairs in front of her there was no more denying that she was in a dental office

She had to find something else to focus on, or she wouldn’t make it. Instead of looking at the chair she looked at one of the patients in them. He had bright red hair, almost orange, that stuck out in all directions. He clutched something to his chest that was also reddish brown in color. As she walked by, Alina stared at it, trying to make out what it was. Suddenly a pair of eyes stared back and Alina realized that he was holding a cat.

A cat… in a dental office.

What was this place? Alina wondered as Genya ushered her into the last room of the hallway. She was still babbling and Alina nodded absentmindedly as she sat in one of the the wretched chairs.

“Okay, we’re going to start with a quick series of x-rays today to get the ball rolling. It should only take about a few minutes. Are you comfortable with that?”

Alina must have agreed because a heavy apron was being placed on her chest. It compressed her lungs and made it even harder to breath. An oddly shaped piece of plastic slid in her mouth and Genya pointed the x-ray machine at her. “Please sit still and don’t move your head.”

Was this safe? She couldn’t ask because of the mouthpiece. Genya walked away and hid behind a wall to turn on the x-ray. That meant it couldn’t be safe right? A high pitched buzzing sound filled the air and Alina jolted in surprise.

When Genya walked back she was frowning. She pushed the x-ray machine away and removed the mouthpiece. “Okay, that one didn’t turn out. See the screen?” She pointed towards a computer that featured an x-ray that looked really blurry even to Alina’s unprofessional eyes. “It’s not a big deal, but we’re going to have to take that one again. I’ll warn you this time before I press the button.” She reassured Alina.

The rest of the x-rays went relatively smoothly with Genya adjusting the mouthpiece and running back and forth to the x-ray button. Her voice was reassuring and calm when she worked, but Alina still couldn’t concentrate enough for her to make sense.

Once they finished the x-rays and the heavy apron was removed, the assistant’s voice became clearer again. Maybe it was the oxygen rushing back to Alina’s head.

“So, what brings you in today? Any specific pain or sensitivity?” Genya asked cheerily as she clipped a bib over Alina.

“Just a checkup. No pain, but I haven’t been to the dentist in…” Alina counted in her head. “Five years. I got a new job recently though that has fantastic insurance and my best friend wouldn’t stop pestering me to come in.”

“Sounds like a good friend.” Genya smiled warmly. “What do you do?”

The chair started to lean backwards and Alina clutched the sides of it. “Oh, umm. I’m a cartographer for Google Maps.”

“Wow, really? I didn’t know that people could be cartographers anymore! That sounds like something from hundreds of years ago.” Genya continued on like everything was normal and she wasn’t lowering Alina to her inevitable death.

“Yeah, I basically I organize a team of people who constantly update and maintain the map of the greater Ravkan area.” Her voice sounded squeaky to her ears, but the dental assistant didn’t seem to notice.

“How did you get into that?” She pulled a metal box from a cupboard and set it on the tray next to Alina.

“Ah, that friend I mentioned? He also works for the company and he kind of hooked me up. He’s a trend tracker? He figures out what is going to be the next big thing and whether or not the company should jump on it…” Alina trailed off as Genya opened the metal box to reveal a row of neat instruments, each scarier looking than the last.

“Wait. You don’t mean Mal do you? Mal Oretsev?”

Alina’s eyes snapped back to Genya in surprise. “You know him?”

“He came in just last week!”

Oh right. Alina knew that.

Genya continued, “What a cutie. You two aren’t…”

“No!” Alina said a bit too hastily. “We’re just childhood friends, practically siblings. Plus, he’s engaged.”

A cheeky grin curled across the assistant’s mouth. “Pity. He’s one fine specimen of a man. Wait, is that bad to say? Crap.”

Alina gave a little chuckle, the first laugh she had since coming into the office. “You wouldn’t be the first to say or think so. You should see his fiancé though, she’s even prettier.”

Genya gave a low whistle. “They are going to make some stunning babies.”

Alina was about to agree and add that the babies would also be true terrors, when a man came bounding into the room. His blond hair flopped across his bright hazel eyes as he reached out to shake Alina’s hand vigorously.

“Hi! I’m Nikolai! I’m going to be cleaning your teeth today before Dr. Morozova looks in your mouth.” He was equally handsome to Ivan and Genya, if not more so. It was absolutely ridiculous, not to mention unfair. If they kept on at this trajectory, Dr. Morozova would look like a Saint on earth.

Alina croaked out her name in greeting, her throat suddenly feeling dry. Nikolai turned to the other woman. “Thanks Genya! That’s it for now, but I’ll call you over in a bit for perio-charting, okay?”

She nodded and laid a reassuring hand on Alina’s shoulder. “Nikolai’s the best! He’ll totally take care of you, but if you need anything feel free to holler.”

 The moment her warm hand lifted, Alina immediately wanted it back. The panic started to set in again as Nikolai started talking brightly about something or other and lowered her chair even more. She felt like she was past horizontal and on her way to vertical in the opposite direction. She imagined that a single push would send her sliding off the chair and into a sudden, but inevitable pit that would open up underneath her.

“Alina?”

“What?” She squeaked.

“I’m going to start now by scraping the tartar off of your teeth, okay?” He held up a double sided metal instrument that had what resembled two sharp fish hooks on either side.

“I don’t have tartar!” Alina blurted. “I brush my teeth three times a day, once after every meal, I floss twice a day, and I even use one of those weird tongue scrapers that make you gag every time no matter how careful you are.”

Alina was dead serious and not exaggerating in the least. In fact, she sometimes did more. It was how she had managed to stay out away from the dentist for as long as she had. Alina was obsessive about her dental care, going so far as to carry floss, toothpaste, and a toothbrush with her at all times. So she couldn’t have tartar, right?

Nikolai gave a warm chuckle. “I don’t doubt it, but even with the most rigorous cleaning tartar can form, especially under places like the gum line that you can’t reach with normal brushing and flossing. It’s just a natural result of all of the lovely flora in our mouths. I’ll try to be quick though.”

He placed a set of sunglasses on her before tilting the bright lamp to her face. Then he ordered her to open wide and started to work on her. Alina could feel every scrape of the metal across her teeth. There were some spots that he barely grazed over and others that got several hard scratches. Nikolai was talking about something throughout the entire process. It sounded like he had just bought a boat, but Alina couldn’t be sure. She was focusing too hard on not hyperventilating with every slight movement of his hands.

After what felt like a couple of hours, but was probably only a few minutes he stopped scraping, said something, patted her shoulder, then left the room with her still lying down.

Shit. She had no idea what was happening, she should have been paying closer attention. Was the visit over? Was she supposed to get up now? But, how would she do that with the chair still down? Shit.

Her thoughts started to spiral and she was about to try and get up to leave when Nikolai reentered the room followed by Genya. Alina gave a small sigh of relief and Genya laughed. “Happy to see me? I know how hard it can be to have to look at Nikolai’s ugly face.”

Nikolai gave a squawk of indignation. “I’m handsome! Alina, tell Genya that I’m handsome!”

Alina laughed again, feeling a little bit of fear fall off of her shoulders. “You’re absolutely ravishing,” she said, exaggerating each word dramatically.

Nikolai smiled smugly, “I knew you couldn’t resist this thing between us.” He turned to pout at Genya, “See? Alina thinks I’m handsome!”

Alina and Genya rolled their eyes in unison then broke out in giggles.

“Okay, Alina, I’m going to measure your gum recession, now. This part is really important, especially for people who brush as often as you do.” Nikolai said, his face becoming serious.

“Wait, you’re not telling me that I’m brushing too much, are you? I do exactly what the instructions on the tooth paste box say!”

 Genya placed her hand on Alina’s shoulder again. “It’s not that you’re brushing too much, but it is possible that you’re brushing too hard. You have to be gentle with your toothbrush or you can injure your gums.”

“That’s exactly right,” Nikolai nodded. “Alright, Alina, I’m going to start now. This is the instrument I’ll be using to measure your gums.” He held up a very pointy looking piece of metal that had little lines on it. “I know it looks a little intimidating and I will be moving it along your gums so you might feel some pinching or poking. But your gums are pretty healthy so it should go just fine.”

Alina eyed the tool warily, but nodded slightly and let him start. He called out numbers in sets of threes. They were mostly 2s and 3s, but there were also a couple of 1s and 4s. Alina had no idea what they meant, but she felt slightly judged anyways.

Genya recorded them all with one hand, the other never leaving Alina’s shoulder. Nikolai was right, it only hurt at a couple of points and whenever she would flinch a little Genya would squeeze her shoulder reassuringly.

When he was done Genya saved the information then left saying that she would let the doctor know that Alina was almost ready. Nikolai put down the sharp metal. “Okay, the worst parts are over! All that’s really left is the polish, then the doctor will examine you. Oh, and the fluoride varnish, but that will only take two minutes max.”

While he talked, he put together an instrument with some sort of a plastic head that Alina didn’t recognize. He gave it a final twist then pressed a button. The instrument whirred to life startling Alina.

Her hand shot out reflexively, smacking the object from Nikolai’s hand and she practically fell off the chair in her attempt to scramble away from him. “What are you _doing?!_ ” She cried out.

Nikolai’s eyes were wide with shock and his mouth had fallen open slightly, but he collected himself quickly. “I was just going to polish your teeth.”

“With a drill?” Alina asked incredulously, griping the edge of the chair harshly. She was sitting up with no back support and she swayed precariously.

“Nikolai, stop torturing my patients.” A smooth, rich voice sounded from behind them and Alina twisted her neck to see who it belonged to.

A man who was impossibly more attractive than all his staff combined stepped into the room. He took in the scene before him, Alina defensively crouched on the patient chair and Nikolai with his hands held up in surrender, and raised an eyebrow. A little smile played around the corners of his mouth and he paused, considering. “That’s my job.”

Alina’s mouth opened in shock as the man, who Alina assumed was Dr. Morozova, walked towards her, his black lab coat quietly swishing with each step. He leaned over to press a button on the side of the chair to slowly raise it into a more chair like position. As it moved, Alina shifted awkwardly so that she sat normally again.

Nikolai chuckled cheerily then picked the instrument off the floor and started to wipe it down, moving out of the way for the dentist. “I’ll come back to finish up when you’re done with the exam, Doctor.” He said and the other man nodded without looking away from Alina.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Morozova. It’s nice to meet you.” He extended a hand towards her and she shook it absentmindedly. He had bright, grey eyes like an overcast sky at noon and his silky black hair was secured into a small bun at the base of his neck. She was surprised by how young he looked, he didn’t look older than thirty.

When Alina thought of dentists she thought of men or women in their late 40’s with crow’s feet around their eyes and too-big smiles. Then again, she was also used to dentists having at least one or two pictures of their offspring on the walls and she hadn’t seen anything of the sort. Her eyes flashed quickly to his left ring finger and she felt a little wave of excitement wash over her when she saw it was blank.

Alina was going through a carnival ride of emotions from ‘pure terror’ to ‘hot and bothered’. She held his hand for a bit too long then dropped it quickly with a hasty, “I’m Alina!”

He took a seat, crossing one leg casually over the other, which didn’t help her current emotional state. “Alina, welcome to my office. Do you have any questions for me before we start?”

“How old are you?” She blurted. Warmth creeped up her neck with embarrassment, but at least she hadn’t asked the actual question on her mind. She really wanted to know if he was single. Purely for research, of course.

His eyebrows raised delicately and Alina was quickly realizing it was the most expressive part of his face. “I’m twenty-seven. I know I seem a bit young to be a dentist, but I’ve been practicing for about six years now which is much longer than the majority of dentists my age. I skipped a few grades. I guess I’m a quick learner.” His tone was neutral sounding, almost bored, but not haughty with his achievements.

“Anything else?” He asked politely and Alina shook her head. “Okay, I’m going to put your chair down now and take look inside your mouth. If at any point you are uncomfortable, please feel free to let me know.”

While he examined her mouth he spoke to her quietly, letting her know exactly what he was planning to do next. Alina was having trouble understanding him, but from a completely different reason than she had with Genya and Nikolai. She knew that he was saying very mundane, dental related things, but his tone of voice sent shivers down her spine and caused her toes to curl reflexively.

When he finished up she was almost a little bit disappointed. He sat her chair back up then pulled up the x-rays that Genya had taken earlier. Alina sat patiently while he looked them over.

“I do have some unfortunate news.” He told her. “You have two cavities, one on your upper right second molar and the other on your lower right first molar. They are both pretty superficial, but I would like perform some fillings before they become too deep.”

Alina felt a hard lump in her throat which caused her voice to creak. “I take such good care of my teeth though, how could this have happened?”

Dr. Morozova pointed a long, thin finger along the x-ray, his voice calm. “Both of your cavities are on the occlusal, or biting, surface of your molars. They are most likely from sealants that you received as a child that have now failed and allowed bacteria to penetrate and flourish.”

“Why would they fail?” She was trying really hard to keep the panic out of her voice, but she doubted that she was succeeding.

“It could be from any number of reasons, from lack of skill of the dentist who placed them, accidental neglect of hygiene, excess pressure from a hard diet or tooth grinding, or even just a genetic proclivity to carries.”

“So you’re saying that this could happen to even more of my teeth?” Alina could feel tears building in her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. She was just supposed to get in and get out, not learn that she had a bunch of ticking time bombs in her mouth that might require any number of dental visits.

He frowned slightly, “Not necessarily. Sealants are placed to help prevent cavities and they usually do just that. I’ve looked at your other teeth and they are holding up pretty well for how long you’ve been without dental care. If you continue flossing and brushing as you have been and come for more regular cleanings, it’s unlikely that this will happen again.”

 _So it’s my fault?_ She wanted to ask, but couldn’t find the words. If she hadn’t stopped going to checkups, then the sealants wouldn’t have failed and she wouldn’t need fillings now. Saints. Fillings meant anesthetic which meant big, pointy needles stabbing into her mouth.

She couldn’t do it.

But if she didn’t get the fillings the cavities would just spread and she could need a root canal which everyone said was the most painful procedure that could be done. And what if that failed? She would lose all of her teeth, each one moldering away until they were eventually pulled out.

It was her fault. All her fault.

Alina’s vision blurred and her face started to tingle as her breath came faster and faster in sharp painful pants. She clutched her shirt with one hand over her heart and the other gripped the black leather of the dental chair. Hot tears burned tracks down her face that she didn’t even think to wipe away.

“Miss Starkov? Alina? I need you to breath with me okay?” Somebody said to her, but she couldn’t be sure who and she ignored the voice.

There were more voices in hushed whispers that Alina couldn’t make out. But that didn’t matter right then, because she was pretty sure that she was dying. Her heart was beating so hard that she thought it might burst from her chest.

She felt a cool hand pull at her overly warm one, gently separating it from the leather she had made sticky with her sweat. Then she felt her hand being pressed to a new surface, this one dry, but also slightly warm.

“Alina, I know that it feels like it right now, but you aren’t dying, I promise.” The soothing voice was back.

 _You can’t possibly know that,_ she wanted to say. _You can’t feel how hard my heart is beating or how little oxygen I’m getting. I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t BREATHE._

She rocked back and forth with her eyes tightly shut.

“You are having a panic attack, but you are going to be just fine. I need you to breathe with me though. Concentrate on the rise and fall of my chest and try to match it, please.”

Her fingers slid slightly over fabric as he took long purposeful breaths. Alina didn’t see how breathing slower could possibly help when the real issue was that she couldn’t breathe at all, but she tried anyways. Something about the deep, calm voice made her want to try.

It took a while, but her breathing finally slowed. She kept having occasional stuttering breaths, but the worst had past and Alina was starting to recognize her surroundings again.

Dr. Morozova was holding her palm to his chest, still rising and falling steadily as he encouraged her to breath. The warmth of his skin radiated through the fabric of his lab coat and the collared shirt he wore underneath.

“I… I think I’m okay now. I’m sorry.” Alina managed to say and he let go of her wrist immediately. She was blushing now. Both at the fact that she had been practically fondling his chest and because she wished that she hadn’t stopped.

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Was that your first panic attack?” He asked her. His face and voice were calm, but Alina thought she could see a slight crinkle of concern to his brow.

She nodded. “Dental offices have always made me-” a sharp unintentional gasp interrupted her sentence for a moment, “anxious, but never like that before.”

“Did you have a bad dental experience in the past? You don’t need to describe it to me, but it would be important for me to know.”

“No, that’s the worst part. I’m so scared of… Saints! _Everything_ about the dentist, but I don’t know why.” She rubbed at her tear grimed face and Dr. Morozova immediately presented her with a tissue and nodded knowingly.

“That’s more common than you might think, and it can be a huge barrier for people to get the care they need, even when they are in pain. But, you’ve already come in and that’s the first big step.” He patted her hand reassuringly and Alina felt her stomach flip a little in a way that had nothing to do with her anxiety. “I’ve worked with quite a few patients who have dental phobias and it would be my pleasure to work with you if you’ll let me.”

“O-okay.” She found herself stuttering against her better judgement. She had practically just lost her mind in front of this man and she was agreeing to come back to experience something even scarier with him? How far gone was she?

“Perfect. I’ll let Ivan know to schedule extra time before your next appointment. We’ll sit in my office instead of in one of the operatories and I’ll walk you through the procedure and your options before we start.”

He shook her hand again and stood up. “I need to go now, but it was a pleasure meeting you. Nikolai will come in soon to finish up with your cleaning.”

Dr. Morozova turned to leave then paused. “Oh and I know it’s fun, but please try not to smack the polisher out of Nikolai’s hand this time. We wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings, now would we?” He gave her a little smirk before walking out of the room.

Alina gaped after him, not sure what to feel anymore. She barely had enough time to collect herself before Nikolai came bustling back into the room. This time before he turned on the polisher he gave a little demonstration of how it worked and fair warning. After that, he slathered something sticky over her teeth which he said contained fluoride and she shouldn’t brush or pick it off for at least twelve more hours.

Nikolai led her back to the front desk, but not before stopping by the kid's prize section on the way. He reached in and presented her with a green apple ring pop. "You did good, Alina." He said with a grin then left her to deal with a still surly Ivan to schedule her next appointment. Alina left the office on shaky legs with a business card reminding her of her next visit pressed into her palm. She had been planning on walking home, but when she opened the door she immediately spotted Mal leaning against his car.

“How’d it go?” He asked cautiously.

“What are you doing here?” She said avoiding his question with one of her own.

“I’m your emergency contact. Apparently they wanted somebody to pick you up, just in case you had trouble getting home. But you look just fine to me, cheerful even.” He raised a curious brow. “Did something happen in there?”

Alina’s heart fluttered in her chest, pleasantly this time. But she soured her face, not wanting to talk to Mal. “Shut up,” she snapped then made a point of getting in the car.  On the way home though, she couldn’t suppress a little smile on her face as she rubbed a finger along the business card in her hand.

‘ _It would be my pleasure to work with you if you’ll let me_ ,’ Dr. Morozova’s dreamy voice repeated in her head.

Could Alina actually be looking forward to her next visit?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm such a dental neeeerrrrd. Yikes. In case you were wondering, I'm currently working as a dental assistant and I'm applying to dental school to become a dentist. So I just had to get this fic out even though it's super out of character for pretty much everyone. It's still cute though right?
> 
> No?
> 
> Oh well! I hope you enjoyed it anyways lol *^-^*/
> 
>  
> 
> (Kudos and comments make me shamelessly happy btw... just to throw that out there!)


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